White and Black Pearls 2 - One Remaining Pearl

Chapter Ten

“We’ve been sailing for a full day now,” Will said in a compromising tone, trying to sound reasonable but barely restraining his impatience. “And you still haven’t told me how it is that a boot is going to lead us to Jack.”

Celeste looked over at Will with arched brows, from her position sitting on the bowsprit as usual. She may as well have been the ship’s figurehead with the way she could always be found there, and Will found himself wondering if that wasn’t too bad of an idea, adding a figurehead to the hull of the ship. He shook that off and resumed frowning at the goddess, needing answers instead of more things to daydream about.

“You’re right; one boot is not going to lead us to Jack Sparrow.” Her finger pointed out over the waters, and as Will looked, there was a soft bubble and something rose to the surface. “Two boots will.”

Will’s eyes flashed as a smile broke out on his face. Somewhere out there, a very clever but likely naked Jack Sparrow was waiting for them. “Well alright then,” he said with new conviction. “Let’s hurry!”

He ran over to the rigging himself and dropped every sail they had just as Celeste’s winds came in strong, causing the boat to lurch and speed along the waters even faster. He smiled as he propped the heel of his boot on the rail of the Flying Dutchman and lifted his head, his chest pushed out and a proud look on his face. Will realized as he stood there, that aside from his visits with Elizabeth, he was never this happy any more. He’d missed this, the adventure and mishap… he kind of missed Jack too in a way.

No! What was he thinking? He didn’t miss Jack. Jack was a handful of trouble gift wrapped in danger, placed in a pretty little hand basket to hell. He missed the adventure and nothing more. As long as there was adventure it didn’t matter who it was causing it. Will closed his eyes as the wind ran through his hair, taking deep breaths of the fresh sea air. He was going to rescue Jack to keep himself and his livelihood safe, to keep Celeste safe, to ensure no threats ever came Elizabeth’s way on his behalf… all good reasons. He wasn’t rescuing Jack for the sake of rescuing Jack, he assured himself. …Okay, maybe a little for the sake of rescuing Jack, but only so he could rub it in the man’s face. He would rather see Jack kicked by a donkey than hug the man, most days; the man defined fair-weather friend.

His attention turned to Celeste then when Will noticed that the sun was touching down on the horizon. The Dutchman’s captain forgot what he’d been thinking about as he stood there, staring at her. The cloak on her back was shifting with the same beautiful colours as the sky, and her hair seemed to get darker while the pearls and her skin took on their own soft, radiating glow. “Wow,” he whispered under his breath.

When her head turned and Will realized that she’d noticed he was staring at her, he cleared his throat and a slight flush rose in his cheeks. “Going below deck to check on the men,” he mumbled, before leaving her and heading into the bowels of his ship. As Will checked stores of supplies and ammunition, he kicked one of the barrels. He was happy with Elizabeth, she was the only woman in the world for him, he was certain of that, but Will was also very certain that a man like Jack Sparrow did not deserve such a beautiful, dedicated, delicate…

“Will.”

His thoughts, while private and internal, still felt guilty, and when he lifted his gaze to his father, Will’s expression was that of a man caught in the act of doing something he shouldn’t be. “Yes,” he carped out.

“We’ll follow you anywhere, but please… please keep your guard up around her. The lives of a few men mean nothing to somebody who has seen millions born and die under the skies over time. Your face is becoming distracted; her claws are sinking in.”

“What claws?” Will asked defensively. “She’s obviously madly in love with Jack still, and she has done nothing to try and seduce or charm me. There is nothing between us. I don’t even know what you’re talking about. I don’t like her in that way.”

The blank look Bootstrap was giving him told Will that the man had not been referring to her ‘claws’ in that sense.

“I need to think,” Will said suddenly, frowning. “Thank you for the advice as always, father.” He went above deck once more, to get away from his father, but above deck Celeste was waiting and there was no solace there. Will went up onto the Forecastle Deck instead, grabbing hold of the wheel and relieving the man who had been steering their ship, though it hardly needed steering with the winds on their side. His hands gripped the wheel until his knuckles turned white as he stared at Celeste and wondered just where Jack Sparrow would be today if it wasn’t for this woman. Dead somewhere, probably. Hanged, burnt, bludgeoned, or maybe drowned…

This line of thought was dangerous. All of it was dangerous. Will shook his head. Was this confusion and… strange, guilty desire… something Davy Jones had suffered through as well? There’d been no mention of it in the story, but he could see it being possible. A woman like that, never mind being a goddess, was such a treasure. She was beautiful inside and out, and obviously cared for the man she loved to such extent that she would risk everything and lay her life down on the line –

Will started, and his eyes widened before relief filled his entire frame. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips as he stopped gripping the ship’s wheel. That was what it was he couldn’t peg about her, which made his heart flutter just a little. It was the same thing that made him fall for Elizabeth totally and completely during their sea adventures, on top of the puppy love he’d felt for her back when he was just a blacksmith. Her dedication, personal strength, and willingness to go to such extremes for the one she loved… it called to him and made him want to work towards her goals at her side. Yes, that was it, Will nodded to himself. He didn’t feel romance of any kind or desire for Celeste, he just saw things in her that were what he loved in his wife, nothing more. He didn’t want to walk across the deck and embrace her, burying his face in her hair before placing a kiss on her pale throat, not at all. No, not in the least. Nope.


____________________________________________________________